Since the beginning of the year, the UFC has been aggressively culling fighters in an effort to make room on its roster for newer prospects. As 2026 makes it past the third quarter, nine more fighters have found themselves at the end of the rope, with the promotion effectively parting ways with them or choosing not to renew their contracts. Among them, one is Khabib Nurmagomedov’s longtime teammate, who now leaves the UFC without a win.

According to UFC roster watch, the promotion has released Lyman Good, Saygid Izagakhmaev, Bruno Lopes, Bekzat Almakhan, Cody Gibson, Aoriqileng, Ravena Oliveira, Stewart Nicoll, and Hailey Cowan this week.

The recent roster purge comes as UFC is set to complete its first year under the Paramount+ partnership in a little over 100 days. With a new batch of fighters making their way in from DWCS, it likely became important for the promotion to part ways with fighters that were struggling or finishing out their contracts.

While the list includes seasoned veterans such as bantamweights Aoriqileng (26-14) and Cody Gibson (21-13), one name has drawn particular attention: Khabib Nurmagomedov’s teammate, Saygid Izagakhmaev (22-4).

The Dagestan native was one of the UFC’s notable signings last year, arriving in Dana White’s promotion with a 22-2 professional record. Before joining the UFC, Izagakhmaev had competed in ONE Championship and went 3-0 in the promotion.

Given his record and background, expectations were high for the 32-year-old. Like several of Khabib’s teammates, Izagakhmaev was expected to make an immediate impact in the UFC. Instead, his run now ends after just two fights.

Izagakhmaev suffered back-to-back defeats, first against Nicolas Dalby at UFC Qatar late last year. The second one was against Abubakar Vagaev in July at UFC Abu Dhabi. With two consecutive losses, the UFC chose to release the welterweight. He leaves the promotion with a 0-2 record.

His UFC run may not have gone as expected, but Izagakhmaev’s overall record should give him opportunities elsewhere. However, the result is a far cry from what Khabib envisioned for his longtime teammate when he spoke about him several years ago.

“I’ve been training with Saygid my whole life,” Khabib told ONE Championship in 2022. “I know how much he improves every year. I know how dedicated he is. He’s getting physically stronger and stronger. He’s getting more and more experienced from fight to fight, and soon, he’s going to be the best–not only in our team, but in the world. I have a lot of faith in him.”

Izagakhmaev is also not the first of Khabib’s teammates to leave the UFC after an unsuccessful run. Zubaira Tukhugov, another of ‘The Eagle’s’ longtime teammates, was released by the promotion in 2023 after a 5-3-1 run.

Despite Khabib’s confidence in him, Izagakhmaev never found his footing in the UFC. He can now look to rebuild his career elsewhere, although earning another UFC opportunity could become more difficult as the promotion continues to replenish its roster with younger talent.

So far, the UFC has signed 28 fighters from Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10 in 2026, with rising talents such as Alex Apodaca and Nick Galanti earning spots on the roster.

The steady influx of Contender Series talent has given the UFC plenty of options when it comes to refreshing its roster. That has also meant that some familiar names have been pushed out, with several veterans among the latest group of departures. 

Notable fighters cut alongside Khabib’s teammate in recent UFC roster purge

One of the most recognizable names among the recent departures is Chinese MMA veteran Aoriqileng. ‘The Mongolian Murderer’ made his UFC debut in 2021 and endured a difficult start, losing back-to-back fights against Jeff Molina and Cody Durden.

He recovered by winning three of his next four fights, picking up victories over names such as Jay Perrin and Cameron Else. However, his form eventually declined again, with Aoriqileng losing three of his final four UFC bouts and recording just one victory during that stretch against Cody Gibson last year.

His most recent outing a couple of weeks ago ended in a loss to Kai Asakura at UFC Shanghai, leaving him with a 4-6 UFC record. The promotion, as a result, chose not to keep the 33-year-old around.

Interestingly, Cody Gibson has also been released following his second stint with the UFC.

Gibson made his UFC debut in 2014 but was released after just a year following a series of defeats. He eventually earned his way back to the promotion after competing on The Ultimate Fighter Season 31.

However, the UFC veteran’s second run produced similar results. Gibson won just two of his final seven UFC fights while losing five, bringing his combined record across two UFC stints to 3-8.

Bekzat Almakhan (12-4) is another notable name among the departures. The Kazakh fighter went 1-3 during his four UFC appearances, with his lone victory coming against Brad Katona. His three defeats came against fighters including Aleksandre Topuria and Umar Nurmagomedov.

Welterweight veteran Lyman Good (21-6), meanwhile, has not competed in the UFC since his unanimous decision loss to Belal Muhammad in June 2020. A string of family issues and injuries have kept the 41-year-old out of the Octagon for six long years. He now leaves the promotion with a 3-3 record.

Others like Bruno Lopes (14-4), Ravena Oliveira (7-5-1), Stewart Nicoll (8-4), and Hailey Cowan (7-6) are relatively younger among the list of departures.

With the UFC continuing to bring in new talent, the latest roster purge highlights how quickly opportunities can disappear for fighters who struggle to establish themselves. For Izagakhmaev and the other departing fighters, however, a UFC release does not necessarily mark the end of their careers.

They will now have the opportunity to find new promotions, rebuild their records, and hopefully work their way back toward the UFC in the future.